The Box
by KeybladeMosstar
Summary: The Box did not like to be tampered with.  The Box was everything; It knew everything. It saw everything.  The Box was the Answer.  There was no questioning the Box.  AU, I think... I hope you enjoy it! T for future violence and mild language.
1. Chapter 1

The Box

A/N: Hey, my name is Moss. This is my first fanfic, I hope you all like it! It won't be very long…I'm mainly just testing to see if anyone likes it.

The Box did not like to be tampered with.

The Box was everything; It knew everything. It saw everything.

The Box was the Answer. There was no questioning the Box.

Those were the Rules we had been taught since birth. When we were infants, our mothers chanted it while we slept. When we were toddlers, our preschool teachers instilled it into our minds with silly songs. In elementary, the Rules were always the first question on our tests. By middle school, a few of us became suspicious of this "Box." It was only a government hoax, an old wife's tale, a historic prank! No box could do anything or know anything, not even The Box. That's when we decided to prove our little town wrong. "The Box was a lie!" We would announce, waiving the old cardboard thing around (at least, that's what we assumed it was. No one but the Elders had ever seen The Box.) Those gullible townsfolk would rejoice at the fear that had been lifted from their shoulders. The Elders would bow their heads in shame, stupefied that a group of young teenagers could have revealed their ancient fraud. The Box would be no more, and we'd be saviors.

I awoke to the sound of old church bells chimed in my room. It was time to pay homage to the Box. I groggily threw my red jumpsuit on, and then rushed down the stairs to eat. "Sora!" My mother scolded. "How late were you planning on keeping us? The Box does not like to wait. Surely you would have learned that by now." "My - ermph- alarm clock didn't –mph- go off." I lied between bites of toast. I was really just sick of waking up early to pay homage to something that doesn't exist. My friends, Kairi and Riku, agreed to do the same. It was Riku's idea, actually. "I don't want to be late. I'm leaving now, and you're just going to have to face the Punishment." "I'm coming!" Jeez, some mother. After brushing my teeth and attempting (and failing) to brush my spiky hair down, I threw on my white and black jacket and rushed out the door.

Thankfully, I made it on time. While paying homage to a box is stupid, it isn't worth it to receive the Punishment. Still panting, I threw myself in a chair beside Kairi. "There you are lazy bum!" She taunted me, using my pet name she gave me. "Hey, you were nearly late too! You're sweating like crazy." I said between breathes. "Dang, you got me." She giggled, wiping her red bangs from her wet forehead. "That was fun though, being a rebel." She added. I gave her my trademark grin, then scanned the crowd. "Have you seen Riku around?" I asked Kairi, who merely shook her head. "Attention!" a voice boomed. A couple hundred heads turned to the large wooden platform just in front of a gleaming white cube with intricate Celtic knots framing the edges. (This is not the actual Box, it is the shrine of the Box the Elders created. Don't worry, it confuses the tourists who come here as well.) "Attention!" The voice boomed again. A small, elderly man with a clean-shaven face and a white toga stood on the stage. "As the Head Elder of Destiny Islands, I shall lead you all in the morning homage. However," he paused. "Not before the Punishment for one late young man." A ripple ran through the crowd as a 15-year old muscular male with silvery white hair walked up the stairs. "Riku!" I shouted as I stood up. "Get down!" hissed a person behind me, pulling me by my jacket into my seat. My heart sunk to my feet and into the hot, scratchy sand below my feet. How did he get caught? Were we supposed to get caught? I thought we were just sleeping in late and half-assing our appearance. "Riku Souru, your Punishment will be held after our homage is given." The Head Elder said piercingly, his expression unreadable. Riku nodded sharply, and then marched down to a chair in front of me. If he caught my questioning gaze, he didn't show it. Why, Riku? Are you really that desperate to rebel? I thought hopelessly. Should I have been that ready to rebel? Maybe I should have been up there with him. My thoughts were interrupted by someone grabbing my arm. "Kairi?" I whispered. "I'm scared for him." She hissed back. I was about to reply, but then the Session of Homage began.

The Session of Homage went by fast, probably because this is the one time I never wanted it to end. I would have been contemplating the irony of this, had my mind not been occupied by the thoughts of Riku's punishment. For some reason, I felt a little guilty. I felt as if I should have been with him. But then again…the Punishment was not something to be taken likely. "Riku Souru, come forth." The Head Elder's voice suddenly boomed. "Riku!" I hissed. "I'll talk to you after this." He replied under his breath. "But we can't talk after this!" I pointed out. "You'll find a way." He winked at me, then held his head high and marched to the platform. "Riku, you were late for the Session of Homage for the Box. This questions the Box's authority, making this a felony. For this heinous crime, you shall be administered the Punishment." He paused to let this sink into the crowd. "The Punishment includes fifty public lashings, as well as solitary confinement. Do you understand?" Riku nodded, and whispers ran through the townsmen. "Then let the lashings begin."

What he left out of this explanation was that one would be considered an abomination by the public, forever to be ostracized. It was considered taboo to speak to one who had to be administered the Punishment. Most people go crazy from never talking to people ever again. I know I would, anyway. I constantly chat with others on a good day. Never – thwack. The sickening thud of a leather whip smacking human flesh brought me out of my thoughts. Kairi gasped beside me, trying to block the horrendous view with her hands.

Thwack. Thwack. Thwack. The seemingly endless rounds of lashes continued. No matter how many times I tried to run up there, the crowd would pull me back in. Resistance was futile. Thwack. Thwack. Thwack. "Stop!" I yelled, but my cries fell on deaf ears. It was almost as if everyone else was in some sort of trance…Thwack. Thwack. Thwack. They kept on going…and going…and going…Thwack. Finally, the awful sound ceased. A group of lesser Elders grabbed Riku and dragged him off the stage. Finally, I got the chance to run to him. "Riku!" I panted. "Why-" the Elders shoved me off, but I managed to catch him mouthing one word: "Tonight."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I attempted to break it more during conversations, and I tried to be more careful with my grammar. Thanks to you guys, my writing should improve overtime. ^^

There won't be any updates for a while, seeing as I am moving across the continental U.S. D: Therefore, there was no action in this chapter. I didn't want to accidentally leave a cliffhanger. Don't you guys hate when a story ends on a cliffhanger and then isn't updated for a month or longer?

That night, Kairi and I snuck out to the solitary confinement center. Thankfully, there weren't many guards. It's called solitary confinement for a reason, isn't it?

"This way," Kairi whispered to me. As quietly as we could, we sneaked around to a barely visible, barred window peeking out from the layers of sand the building was buried in.

"Riku?" Kairi hissed, leaning into the bars. A dark silhouette appeared, silvery hair made visible by the moonlight.

"Riku!" I nearly shouted, then clamped my mouth shut. "Trying to get us all caught, are we?" he muttered sarcastically. "I am not!" I replied indignantly. "Come on, Riku. What is this all about?" Kairi urged, trying to get us back on topic. "It's about fighting for our freedom." He said. "The Elders are using the box as an excuse to be tyrannical dictators. It's time we stood up against them."

Silence. Only the chirping of crickets could be heard while Kairi and I attempted to absorb this. Fight for freedom? We had been taught in school that we were free, and now Riku was implying that they had never been free.

"Fight…for freedom?" Kairi said to herself, almost testing those words. "Yes." He said impatiently. "Why do you think we were rebelling? Well, more like me." He added. "We didn't know you actually meant to be late! We thought we were sleeping in late, because 'waking up early for a box is stupid.'" I quoted his earlier words. "Anyway, what do you mean by 'freedom?'" I asked. He snorted, as if it were the most idiotic question ever. "Freedom? You know, waking up on your own time, living by your own rules, learning what you want to learn…At least, that's what we did where I came from before I moved here." When he saw our puzzled faces, he sighed. "Think of the feeling you get when you are playing on the island during our Exercise Period." The wind running through our hair, the salt water on our feet, the privacy we had, the games we created with no rules preset…

"Freedom!" Kairi said dreamily. "Yes. That is our goal."

"What's your plan?"

"Bust me out tomorrow night. Then, we are going to sneak into the shrine and grab the Box, if there is one, and prove to the town that there's nothing to fear."

"It sounds simple enough," I commented. "How will we get you out?"

"Well, these walls are basically made of cardboard. If we light it on fire, I should be fast enough to escape. Just bring me a lighter; I'll take care of the rest of the escape. You guys work on creating a good pick to pick the lock of the back door to the shrine, as well as mapping out a fairly concealed path to it. Some water would probably be good, just in case I inhale the smoke." He added thoughtfully. "Now go!" he urged. We both nodded mutely, and then ran back to the housing development. "Meet me tomorrow morning in our secret place!" Kairi hissed. "Deal!" I responded. "See you then!" With that, I climbed through my window and into my bed.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Hi there! I managed to type up some more fluff in the hotel room when I got some alone time. Five people in a small hotel room for almost a week doesn't give a person a lot of time to work, especially with one laptop. o.o Anyway, I hope to wrap this story up in another chapter or two. However, I do not know when the next chapter will be posted. I have an idea of what will happen, but I still need to type it out.

Wish me luck on the move across the country!

Now, onto the story…

Ch. 3:

That next morning, Kairi and I worked diligently on Riku's escape. I smuggled one of my mom's matchboxes and a map of the town, while Kairi surprised me with her knowledge on picking locks. "It's just something in life that's good to know!" She said mischievously when I asked.

"I think I found a good route!" I exclaimed, breaking the silence in our secret place. "Where?" Kairi asked. "If we can run fast enough from the burning confinement center, we can slip into the jungle from between the bakery and clothing shop." I indicated with my finger, my giant gloves running across the map. "It's pretty risky," Kairi warned. "We'll be out in the open for a bit of time, seeing the space between the confinement center and the bakery."

"We run pretty fast when we race on the island." I pointed out. "Plus, if we really need to, we can take the long way through the bushes south of the confinement center." I said thoughtfully. "It will be painful though. Those bushes are full of giant thorns." Kairi sighed, and began pacing the barely illuminated cave. "Do you think all this is worth it?" She asked, her fingers running along the many sketches etched into the wall. "I mean, freedom sounds wonderful, but what if the Box is real? Won't it punish us?"

"Riku is confident that it is a hoax, and I trust him. He said that you can see it in the Elder's eyes."

"If you say so."

She picked up a small device made of various items such as hairpins and stuffed it in her pocket. "We should go home now. People might get suspicious if we are here all day."

I nodded, and then rolled up my map. "See you tonight?"

"You bet." She giggled. "This is going to be fun!"

But her eyes told a different story.

Later that evening, I picked up my phone to relieve my ears of a horrible sound: the phone. Unfortunately, every phone sold in our town had only one tone: The Box's Ode. "Hey, Kairi." I said casually. "Stop trying to sound so relaxed!" She practically shouted. "Do you know what could happen to us?" "I know!" I stated in a surprised tone. "Why are you so freaked out? You were so excited this morning." I said. "I was still nervous this morning; I just was trying to hide it." She responded, trying to control her shaky voice. "I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden I have a horrible feeling about this."

"Don't worry, Riku and I will be with you during the _test_." I said in a soothing voice, emphasizing the last word. The phone lines were monitored constantly, so one could never be too careful. It helped that tomorrow was Monday, and we had a math test. I could use that as our cover while speaking.

"We'll meet at my house to_ study_ in a few minutes, just calm down." I continued. I heard an exasperated huff on the other side. "Okay, I'll see you then." I ended the call, and then began to get ready. I pulled my white hood over my spiky mess, stuffed the matches and map into my pocket, and then waited for Kairi's arrival.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang throughout my small house. "I'll get it!" I yelled, running to answer it. My mom raised her eyebrow, but then went back to watching the news on TV. "Hi, Kairi!" I said with forced cheerfulness. "Hey!" she flashed me a weak smile, and I thought I could see her hands shaking in her pockets. "Kairi again?" My mom asked. "Is something going on between you two that I should know about?"

Oh no! I panicked. How can she suspect us? What gave us away?

"No, Ms. Hikari. We're just friends." Kairi smiled. Oh, I should've guessed that's what she would think. "Yeah, friends." I added nervously. "Okay, I was just wondering. I guess since Riku's Punishment, you guys have been pretty disappointed."

"Disappointed?" I echoed

"Yes, disappointed that your former friend would dare disobey the Rules. I guess he's learning his lesson now." She replied casually.

_Stick with it. Stick with it._ "I guess," I forced out, hiding my clenched fist. "Um, we have to go now." Kairi urged, obviously trying to conceal her anger as well as mine. "Don't be too late. Curfew is 10 o' clock tonight." She said, and we darted out the door.

"I can't believe she said that about Riku!" I exclaimed when we were out of earshot. "I'm not too surprised. That's about what most of the town thinks of those who challenge the Box in some way or another." She replied. We walked quietly for a few minutes, then she pulled something out of the black hoodie that she had thrown over her standard white tank and purple skirt combo. "I want you to have this, just in case anything happens. It's a thalassa charm I made." I stared at the pink star-shaped charm for a minute. "Huh?" I said intelligently. "That way, I'll always be with you." She smiled for a moment, and then pointed towards the horizon. "The sun is going down, that means it's nearly 9. Let's hurry. I'll race you!" with that, she darted off towards the cardboard confinement shack. I neatly tucked Kairi's charm into my pocket, then ran after her into the horizon.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N:….I was moving and adjusting to school! I swear!

Disclaimer: I guarantee that I am not Nomura, and the Portal references were accidental. :P I do own the plot, but the Box owns me! And you….

Ch. 4

Well, things didn't exactly go as smooth as we had hoped. At first I was running after Kairi and darting from bush to bush, then the next thing I know a guard is looming over me. "Care to explain what you are doing out at this hour?" He asked in a strange voice. It was kind of like a growl, but masked in a sugary coat of fakeness.

"Uhh…."

"…"

"…."

We all just kind of stood there, not knowing what to do. Finally, the guard cleared his throat. "The Box will not be pleased with you. You shall be punished with –" Before I knew what I was doing, I punched him in the head. Hard. Really hard. I mean, he was sprawled out on the ground, completely passed out. I just stood there dumbly for a minute, when I heard a familiar voice. "Sora! The confinement center isn't that far ahead! We have to hurry!"

I nodded, then stumbled after her until we reached the cardboard shack. "Riku?" Kairi called softly.

"I'm glad you guys decided to show up." A curt voice replied.

"We ran into some trouble."

"Whatever. Do you have the supplies?"

"Yep." I took out the matchbox and tossed it to Riku through the window. "We have several routed mapped out, but first you need to get out of there." Riku was already on top of that part. He had a match lit and was heading towards the wall before I finished my sentence. "Don't you think this is just a bit-"

FLOOOF.

"-dangerous?" Kairi completed as the shack began to burn. "Riku's smart, I know he can handle himself!" I smiled encouragingly. The next thing we knew, a familiar figure came running out of the nearly decimated cardboard center, coughing heavily. "Riku!" I said happily running up and hugging him."

"This is nice and all, but do you have some water?" He asked weakly. I pulled a water bottle out of my pocket. "Okay, that's better. Now, show me the routes you have drawn up." Just as I was handing it to him, a horrifying GONG sounded throughout the Island. "Crap…."Riku muttered. "Okay, show me the fastest route to get there!"

"Uh, that path through the bakery and clothing shop…" I gestured relatively to the area from where a bunch of figures were running from. "We can always cross through the bushes behind us!" I said quickly.

"Good enough." Riku said, and darted into the thorn covered bushes. "This is going to be painful…"I heard Kairi mutter as she followed us into the thicket.

And painful it was. I had to keep urging Riku to move so that we didn't have to think about the pain of the thorns digging into our faces and hands and sticking to our clothed, but he insisted on stopping every minute or so in order to listen for the Elders or whoever the heck was after us. After what seemed like hours, I finally stopped the illuminated temple from behind the branches of the prickly bushes. "Finally!" I hissed. "Ssshhh!" Riku shushed me, and I quieted down. "Hey, I think I heard something!" A man's voice called out.

"Are you sure it wasn't just a chocobo?"

"What the heck would a chocobo be doing here?"

"Oh, so now you're a chocobo specialist?"

"Stop bickering this is serious!" A familiar feminine voice exclaimed.

"Yes, we need to find the Sinners before the Box gets too angry!" A woman's voice interrupted. I froze. The two women were my mom and Kairi's adopted mother! "I bet that Riku child caused this whole thing!" Ms. Ningyo, Kairi's mother, spat hatefully. "Just wait until the Box gets to him! Then he'll be sorry!"

Believe me, doing nothing while the adults of the island spewed garbage about Riku was excruciatingly painful. I would have rather sat in these bushes for several days than have sat there listening to them for a few minutes. "Speaking of children, have you seen our kids lately?"

"They told me they were going to the island…" An awkward silence suddenly filled the air. Finally, someone shouted, "I think I saw something over by the bakery!" As a hoard of footsteps disappeared into the distance, the three of up let out a heavy sigh and crawled out of the bushes. "Those jerks…" I muttered.

"Hey, it's all good. I don't give a damn what they think."

"It's not very well guarded, is it?" Kairi said thoughtfully, looking over the Temple of the Box. ""The adults think they've instilled enough fear into us to keep people out." Riku responded grimly. "Okay. Let's cut through the forest and to the back entrance." I told my friends. "Kairi, do you have the pick you designed for the lock?" She nodded, holding the simple contraption with a trembling hand. "Good, let's go." I wiped some of the sweat and blood off my face from the thorns, and together we crept over to the back door.

After a couple minutes of fiddling with the lock pick, Kairi managed to get us in. It was a lot gloomier than we had expected. It felt as if there was a heavy fog floating through the dark, open space. Although it was only a small area the size of a large bedroom, the emptiness made it feel as big as a ballroom.

"I don't like this." Kairi broke the silence by speaking in a hushed voice. I managed to find her hand in the darkness, and squeezed it comfortingly. "Don't worry, it will be okay!" I whispered in a semi-cheerful voice. "Hey, do you guys feel that?" Riku suddenly asked. I paused for a minute, and tilted my head to the side.

And then I felt it.

There was an aura of power emanating from the center of the room, oozing into every pore of my body. This aura…could it be the Box?

"No, it couldn't. The Box is a lie. It's all a lie." I heard Riku say to himself, voicing my concerns. "It's all a lie, it's all a lie, it's all a lie…"

"C'mon, let's find out what it is." I said uncertainly, slowly walking toward the center of the room. The aura intensified as we approached it, causing me to sweat. I could feel Kairi's hand going clammy at the same time as mine was.

_Don't worry, The Box is a lie._

It was getting more and more overwhelming by the minute, causing us to begin panting heavily.

_The Box is a lie; it's all just a lie._

Finally, I reached the hand that wasn't wrapped tightly around Kairi's into the darkness. All of our hands met at the top of a smooth, humming surface in the middle of the room.

"The Box…?" Kairi breathed questioningly.

I didn't know how to answer. I just ran my hands eagerly across the surface, until my hand hit the corner. I grabbed it, and slowly began to remove the lid. "Should I…?" I muttered. "Yes…"Riku replied, sounding as if he was partially in a daze. I heard his hand hit the other corner, and together we threw it off.

After that, we immediately regretted our actions. We had blatantly ignored the First Rule: The Box did not like to be tampered with.

Within milliseconds, a burning light surrounded us, accompanied by the most inhuman screech I had ever heard. Before long, we were screaming with it, tears running down our face. That's when IT spoke.

"WHO DARETH TAMPER WITH THY BOX?"

The voice was like music to our ears. It was neither male, nor female, young or old. It had an ageless wisdom woven in with a commanding demeanor. "We are sorry!" We immediately cried. "We didn't mean to! We did not believe the Elders!" we stumbled over our words, begging for forgiveness. The Box paused for a minute.

"THOU HATH COMMITED A HORRIBLE ATROSITY. THOU MUST PAY FOR THINE INSOLENCE FROM NOW-"

Suddenly, it paused. We weren't sure why, for we were still blinded from the light and couldn't see a thing. "Thou hath such powerful hearts. I wonder…" It muttered to Itself. Suddenly, it was back to Its normal, commanding self. "THOU ACTIONS SHALL NOT GO UNNOTICED, BUT I KNOW HOW THOU MAY REPENT." Together, we began speaking garbled sentences, accepting his request. "BEGONE!" It screamed, shoving us into the abyss.

Falling…

Falling…

Falling…

I was sinking into the ocean, my eyes still sealed shut. They fluttered open automatically, and I finally landed at the bottom of the ocean. Suddenly, a bright light surrounded me, and a flock of doves flew up and around me. I gazed around in awe, and then stared at the ground below me.

It was a stained glass floor, complete with intricate designs of flowers and a beautiful woman.

DAS ENDE


End file.
